


unmade plans

by doc_pickles



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Miscarriage, blood mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26027383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doc_pickles/pseuds/doc_pickles
Summary: Jo has a feeling that today is not going to go over well and she just might be right.
Relationships: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev
Kudos: 17





	unmade plans

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends!! I posted this to tumblr earlier this week but also sharing it here. This fic is set somewhere in canon, nothing specific but it’s not AU like most of my work!!  
> Anyways be on the lookout for my TSxJolex fics starting Monday Morning!! 
> 
> And if you didn’t read the description:   
> TW// Miscarriage & Blood

Something was off. Jo didn’t know what, but she had woken up that morning with the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Pushing the feeling aside, she rolled out of bed, got dressed, and headed to work. Alex had worked overnight, Jo promising to check in and bring him breakfast before she started her shift.

“Jo!”

Meredith was jogging down the hallway towards Jo, a smile plastered on her face which was always a sign that she had a juicy surgery and she was eager to share with Jo. The sense of normalcy around the situation calmed Jo slightly, washing away the weird feeling she had that morning. 

“Please tell me you have a good surgery for me to scrub in on,” Jo grinned, sipping her coffee. “I need it today, I have a… a feeling and I need this damn it.”   
“Ah I had a feeling like that once, then I ended up holding a bomb for four hours. Anyways, I’ve got a nice ripe partial colectomy  in half an hour for you to assist on,” Meredith looped her arm through Jo’s as they continued down the hall. “And it might be cancerous. Yay! Happy Monday!”

Jo rolled her eyes, telling Meredith she would meet her in the OR after she found Alex. The air in the elevator seemed different, and the feeling Jo had been fighting off all morning returned with a vengeance. Her stomach churned impatiently, as if yelling at her that she needed to go back home and forget about Meredith’s stupid surgery.

_ “You are a surgeon. You will get through whatever today throws at you,”  _ Jo spoke to herself, deep breaths pouring from her as she tried to realign her thoughts.  _ “And even if you can’t, you will.”  _

The elevator arrives and Jo walks onto the brightly lit pediatric floor. The pictures and colors on the walls do nothing to ease her unsettled stomach, a hand coming to rest on it as the urge to vomit comes and goes quickly. A sharp pain radiates under her hand, but she brushes the feeling off quickly.  _ She’s fine, she has to be fine. _

“Hey, I’ve been waiting for you,” Jo turns to Alex, a wave of calm falling over her as she leans in and hugs her husband. “You okay?”   
“I just feel… off,” Jo shrugged, head leaning against Alex’s chest comfortingly. “I’ll be fine, I’m scrubbing in on Mer’s partial colectomy so I’ll be distracted with that for the better part of the morning.”

“Mm well if you’re still feeling off around lunch I will be in an on call room patiently waiting,” Alex grinned, eyebrows raising suggestively as he bit into the breakfast sandwich Jo had brought him.  She rolled her eyes and kissed Alex’s cheek before assuring him she would stop by later to check in.

“Love you!”

“Love you too,” Jo called back, walking back towards the elevator with a grin. No matter how many times he said it, Jo would never tire of hearing Alex say those words. They gave her a sense of comfort as she rode back up to the surgical floor. 

Jo pushed the feeling she’d had all morning to the side, scrubbing in for her surgery with a renewed vigor. Meredith greeted her enthusiastically, still morbidly excited that this might end with cancer. The two worked in silent tandem, their hands moving in a synchronized dance. The practiced ease between her and Meredith calmed Jo, but didn’t keep her physical symptoms at bay.

“Jo, you okay? You’re sweating like a sinner in church,” Meredith glanced up at Jo, noting the drenched edges of her scrub cap. “You wanna go sit down?”

“I think I might, I told you I have… a feeling,” Jo looked to her friend gratefully. “Sorry I couldn’t stay the whole time. It does look cancerous though so… a win for you?”

Meredith laughed off her comment, telling Jo she would check in with her when she was done there. Jo took her time scrubbing out, tracing over her fingers three times before finally dropping the brush and drying her hands. 

The clenching of her stomach came back full force, Jo leaning against her knees as she tried to breathe through the sharp pain she was feeling in her stomach. It wasn’t over McBurney’s point so appendicitis was out and she didn’t necessarily feel like she was sick with a flu or virus. And the pain radiating through her stomach was worse than any type of period cramps she’d ever had.

Standing up, Jo leaned a hand against the cold sink of the scrub room, eyes widening in horror as she realized her hand that had just been pressed against her thigh was covered in blood. Sure enough, after looking down at her scrubs, Jo realized that the dark red stains had blended in with the navy fabric. She was definitely bleeding. 

_ Remember that feeling you’ve had all morning? The one that told you to go back home and crawl back into bed? Maybe you should have listened to it… _

Mind overwhelmed, Jo left the scrub room in a daze. How had she not noticed? She was exhausted and had no appetite, but she’d brushed it off as PMS. The amount of blood on her pants was excessive though, her heart sinking as she realized exactly what was happening. Jo looked up, realizing that she had blindly walked to the pediatric floor, her anxious body on autopilot and desperate to find comfort in her husband. 

“Hey, surgery not go well for you? You've only been gone for like an hour,” Jo turned to her right, glassy eyes meeting Alex’s. His expression immediately became concerned, hand reaching out for Jo as she stepped away from him. “Jo? What happened?”   
“I’m covered in blood,” Jo’s voice was quiet and trembling, she couldn’t even recognize her own voice as she spoke. “My own blood. My pants are… soaked in blood. I didn’t even notice.”

Alex looked over Jo quickly, the concern on his face growing quickly as he tried to figure out why his wife was bleeding all of a sudden. He hadn’t prepared for this, hell Jo hadn’t even known until a moment ago. But Alex was nothing if not someone who rolled with the punches, especially when it came to her. 

“I think I’m having a miscarriage,” the words leave Jo so quietly, she’s not sure if Alex has heard her. But his hands are on her shoulders and his forehead is resting against hers, a silent understanding floating between the two as they stand in the hallway, both unable to say anything more. 

+

It’s not until they come home later that day that Jo begins to feel the weight of what happened. She’s standing in the shower, the spray just a bit too hot to be comfortable, trying to wash away any remnants of the day. She’d been poked and prodded and the OB on call had given her that practiced sympathetic look that made Jo want to punch her in the face. She didn’t need sympathy, she just wanted to go home and lay in bed and let her stupid, traiterous body continue doing what it had been doing all morning long.

_ That feeling wasn’t for nothing. Maybe you should’ve listened to it, maybe you should’ve stayed home this morning.  _

Unconsciously, Jo’s hand reached down to touch the smooth skin of her stomach. They hadn’t been trying, she wasn’t even sure when it had happened, but the moment the idea had flashed into her mind, Jo knew she wanted this. She wanted a baby, wanted a family with Alex. She’d made her poor husband wait outside of her room as the doctor told her what she’d been fearing all afternoon. Jo knew she’d break his heart and she couldn’t bear seeing that play out on his face.

_ Good going, Karev. Maybe you were right, you do ruin everything good you get.  _

Pushing her inner voice away, Jo stepped out of the shower and dressed quickly. The dark sweatpants and Alex’s shirt enveloped her warmly, reminding her that she was home now and she was free to break down. She knew there wasn’t anything she could’ve done differently, but the pit of guilt and sadness that settled in her stomach wouldn’t relent. 

Walking to their bed, Jo climbed under the covers quietly, face burrowing into Alex’s chest as soon as she had settled in. He set down the magazine he had been reading, pulling Jo closer to him and stroking her hair gently. The soft repetitive motion calmed her greatly, the steady beat of Alex’s heart against her ear almost lulling her to sleep.

“You okay?,” Alex’s voice sounded out of the stillness of the loft. Jo almost didn’t answer, her mind already swimming with a million thoughts. 

“I will be,” she felt the tears as they glided down her cheeks, but Jo made no move to wipe them away. They felt almost like the only thing she could control today, the droplets reminding her that it was okay to let her emotions out now. “I’ve got you, I’ll be okay.” 


End file.
